If I never knew you
by chelsylynn91
Summary: I'm revamping this story after not working on it for nearly two years or so. Christine's luck has taken a turn for the worst. She starts to see a masked man around her and suddenly her luck is changing for the good. Or so it would seem.
1. Chapter 1

**Title:** **_If I Never Knew You_**

**Summary:** **_For all those that believe in love at first sight and that Erik should only be with Christine no matter how much we love him._**

**Disclaime**r: **_I stole most of my ideas from Pocahontas (the title) Phantom by Susan Kay and the phantom of the opera by Gaston Leroux the amazing man that gave us this wonderful obsession._**

**Author's Note:_ I'm tired of the same old image of Christine and so I'm using Gaston Leroux's description of her. This is probably going to turn out to be a cheesy love story like most of my things turns out to be but I hope I won't turn it into a comedy. I used some things from my own life and I think this story is really going to mean something to me and I hope it does you too. Tell me what you think! I do have light reading stories. He's There, and a lost heart being the two that I finished. Okay now to the story._**

My name is Christine. I'm a senior in High School. I live with my parents in a house in Arizona. My mom has had cancer for four and a half years. My father is… detached. We never talk anymore. He just lies in bed and watches as my mother slowly slips away.

"Can you come stay the night tonight and help me and my mum do that civil war project? We need your creativity."

"Meg, that project was assigned last week. Why did you wait so long to start on it?"

"Because I procrastinate everything…. Can you come over?"

"Yea. I'll be over in a few minutes."

"Okay it looks like rain. You better drive over."

"I like the rain…" I drifted off in my thoughts while she droned on about her boy friend until she said,

"Alright I'll finish telling you when you get here. I'm so mad at him."

"Oh right. See you then!" Pretending like I'd been listening to her, I said goodbye. I hung up the phone and walked gloomily up the stairs to the room that I had grown to despise. I knocked softly and went in. My parents were lying in bed sleeping, the sound of the oxygen tank puffing breathable air into my mother's shriveled, cancer-ridden lungs. "Dad?" I shook him in an attempt to wake him up. "Dad?" The amount of drugs he took sometimes made it hard for him to wake up.

"Huh?" Success.

"Can I stay over at Meg's house tonight? They need my help with a school project."

"Mmhmm." They also made him forgetful. He rolled over and went back to sleep. My father had no reason to be on medication. Doctor's these days, however, will give you a prescription for Ambien if you have one restless night or Vicadin for a small headache. He, on the other hand, liked to sleep away his troubles. In other words, I decided to leave a note on the kitchen table.

_Dear Mom and Dad,_

_I'm at Meg's house. The number is below. Call me if you need anything. Love,_

_Christine._

I ran back upstairs grabbed a toothbrush, a change of clothes and make up and threw it in a bag. I then headed for the front door.

* * *

I looped the tie around the showerhead. I slowly brought the home made noose to my neck and slipped it over my head. I had no reason to live anymore. My life had no meaning… My mother hated me… From the day I was born she despised my face, everything about me. Tears were streaming down my face. All it would take was one kick of the stool and my life would finally be over. 18 years is far too long to be alive. I took a breath. Hot tears of anger and hurt continued running in rivers down my hideous deformed face. What would happen after this? Was there a next life? Heaven? Hell? Or… what I feared most of all… nothing. I slipped my mask on my haggard face wanting desperatly to maintain any dignity I possibly could for when they found me. 

With that, I began counting back from ten… nine… eight… I left my last written melody on the piano bench in the den. A tribute to everything evil in life. A tribute to my mother. Four… Three… Two… one. I took one foot off the stool and brought it back. I started moving it forward when, something caught my eye. I turned slightly towards to window. A girl, about my age, was walking down the opposite side of the street. Her beauty was breath taking. Her flowing blonde hair cascaded to the middle of her back where it sprang into tight ringlets. Her eyes were pale blue fogged slightly like a misty, cool morning. Her body reminded me of a Greek goddess. Perfect in every possible way. Curving in and out in just the right places. The way she walked, slow and unsure looked almost mechanical. I watched her in awe until she disappeared from my line of view. I took the tie from my neck and stepped down from the stool. I could wait _one _more day.

**An: _So, what did you think? Kind of morbid but… yea it's needed I think._**


	2. Chapter 2

AN: So sorry it took me so long to get this up. Life has been hectic. But hear you go the next chapter. It could possibly end in a weird place... but You'll live. lol ps. Meg is also the Leroux version. "Meg it's me! I'm coming in." I said as I pushed the door open. Her black lab Candice gallivanted toward me welding her slobbery tongue.

"Candy! Down girl!" Meg called as she sauntered in her straight black hair trailing behind her. I put my bag down next to the door and walked through the hall to the homey living room. Meg's arts and crafts things from about 3rd grade were strewn about the floor in a disorderly mess. I stepped over a box of markers and began rearranging things so I could sit in front of the roaring fire, which I guessed contained Meg's failed attempts of the Battle of Agues Burg. Meg joined me in the small clear area. "So, what do you think?" She asked handing me a bright pink poster headed with the words 'Ags berg' in bright green block letters.

"Meg this is ridiculous! Please tell me you did this on purpose!"

"Now you see how desperately lost I am with out you! I'm freezing!" and with that she proved my theory correct by pushing the poster board into the fireplace. As if on cue, Meg's mother entered the kitchen to the left of us.

"Can I get you girls some hot chocolate?"

"Yes please!" Meg and I eagerly agreed.

"I see you didn't approve of Meg's poster?"

"Nope. Not exactly. It was a bit on the completely-and-utterly-wrong side of things." I said with a grin.

"Hey Christine?"

"What I asked turning my attention toward Meg.

"How do you spell 'civil'?" she began to pick up a orange sharpie.

"Oh no you don't." I said as I exchanged the sharpie for a TV remote and began to label the poster appropriately. Meg started randomly flipping through the channels as Mrs. Giry handed us our mugs. I chose the one sponsoring 'It's a Wonderful Life'. Sure is. I thought sarcastically. I was off in my world of Josh Groban and James Franco fighting in the Civil war when the doorbell rang. Meg jumped up from her spot on the couch.

"I'll get it!" she yelled practically falling on her face to get to the door.

"Expecting someone?" her mother asked with a raised eyebrow. I shrugged as we both moved to the door.

"Oh... it's only you Raoul." My stomach did a summer salt.

"What? Aren't you happy to see your big brother?"

"Of course I am!" she said jumping into his open arms. "Only I was expecting-"

"John?"

"No."

"Kyle?"

"No."

"Jim?"

"No."

"Mike?"

"Jake."

"Jake... Hmmm… Nope. Don't know this new one. How long?"

"Two weeks."

"Wow! Must be new record, for you!"

"Three more days and it will be!" she said with a proud grin. Raoul laughed and turned toward the hat rack where I was entertaining myself by braiding the strands of a scarf together.

"And you, Miss Christine?" He asked picking me up and twirling me around.

"I'm great." I squealed. He kissed me on the forehead and set me down. I felt dizzy.

"Hey Mom." He said hugging her. Raoul was... extremely amazing. I had a crush on him since I like boys- infancy. Raoul turned his steel blue eyes back toward me.

"Music today?" he asked a small glint of hope in his eyes. Ever since we were kids, Raoul and I would entertain ourselves for hours on end at the piano composing music. We had a tone of little notebooks full of silly melodies and pathetic lyrics. Meg has several tapes of her dancing behind us in her tutu and tights. I looked to Meg for my answer. She nodded. Raoul and I sat at the piano bench. I began picking out a simple melody my mother had taught me. Mrs. Giry pulled Meg into the other room to finish the almost completed project. As I went through the simple right hand, Raoul began picking out a left hand. I complicated my hand and soon we had a flowing piece. I slowed down until the music came to a ringing silence. I felt my eyes well up. I turned and moved to a chair at the corner of the room where I let my tears flow. Raoul moved with me and I buried my face in his chest. He moved closer to me on the small chair and positioned us so I was on his lap. He turned me towards him and looked into his eyes. "Christine? Christine, what's wrong?"

"I- I'm sorry. I Ju-ust..." I broke down into sobs once again and he pressed my head to his chest quietly reassuring and shushing me. He began singing to me softly the lyrics he had come up with for the song. "No more talk of darkness

forget these constant fears

I'm here, with you, beneath you,

to guard you and relieve you..." he ran his fingers down my tear stained cheek. He slowly faded out as he bent lower and lower towards my virgin lips. The closer he got, the safer I felt. He continued foreword until at last, our lips met. Slowly at first, he worked his lips in and around mine. The raw passion conceived there scared me at first. I met him with an equally passionate kiss only more powerful. As if that was his permission, Raoul turned it on. He began to weave his tongue in and out of my mouth I did the same, not sure what to do but following his lead. He obviously liked it because he pulled me closer and slipped his lips off mine and down my jaw. I turned my neck slightly and he went lower and lower until he was on my collarbone. I didn't want it to end but my conscience began to kick in when I realized I was making out with Meg's brother in her living room. Raoul noticed something was wrong and moved back. "I'm sorry... I... I've just wanted to do that for so long..." I answered him by kissing his cheek.

"Me too." He held my hand loosely as he guided me toward the piano. He began playing again. a song I knew well."Think of me

Think of me fondly when we've said good bye..." I let the music surround me as I forgot about my worries... my mother...how much time was left... how many pills my father had taken... I let the music carry me into another world... a world for me. A world for me, Raoul, and our music.

* * *

I sat silently, alone in the dark on my swing. The more I thought about what I almost done, the more I realized how stupid it was for me not to have gone through with it. Even if the girl I'd seen was real and not a fragment of the imagination of a love deprived child, she would never fall for a monster like me.

* * *

"I'll be back... I... I just need a little fresh air." Raoul got up from his place beside me.

"I'll go with you." I put a hand to his cheek.

"You're very sweet, but I need some me time..."

"I'd feel better if you took the car. The keys are in my back pocket." He said with a grin. I shook my head and said

"Thanks but I'm only going to the park for a while. I'll be right back. Look, I have my pepper spray with me." I tried to convince him handing my key chain size weapon towards him.

"Alright. But I don't like this. Not at all." I smiled and kissed him on the cheek.

"I know." and left.

* * *

I was about to get up when I saw an angel come toward me. I shook my head and realized it was she. The girl from before. I left my swing and hid behind a nearby bush. Her long hair bounced as she walked toward the area I had just vacated. She sat down on a swing and sighed. She began to hum quietly to herself. Her voice was amazing. Especially when she sang words... I heard a door from the opposite side of the street open and close. "Christine? Christine?"

"Christine..." I repeated to myself. Christine turned around and I quickly his myself from her view. She cocked her head to one side before turning back toward Meg.

"Where in the world have you been hiding? Mom and I thought you were with Raoul?" Raoul... a boy. She already has someone. I knew it... N. I won't let this happen. I won't let her go... I must have her... "Mom wants us in for dinner. And it's starting to rain. I do not want you sick again so please let's go."

"Alright..." she said casting a small glance over her should towards me. How could I get her for myself? How?

**AN:_ Thoughts, comments, questions? Leave them in a comment!!_**


	3. Chapter 3

**Hey! Sorry it's been so long! Life has been so busy, you have no idea! Well, I got bored with trying to sleep and so I decided hmm…12:16 in the morning is a good time to write… so here is chapter 3 of If I never knew you after 7 months of not writing!! (sorry if I'm a little rusty!)**

I walked to the diner table and sat down next to Raoul. He smiled at me sweetly and placed his hand on my knee. I looked up at him adoringly. Finally something was turning out right! Meg cleared her throat loudly. "Christine, could you pass the potatoes?" She asked, clearly trying to turn our attention away from each other.

"Uh, sure." I replied quickly passing the bowl towards her.

"So what's the next step on your project?" Meg's mother asked patiently, eyeing her son. Meg slouched in her seat and began moving her food around her plate.

"I dunno. I'm stuck." She replied bitterly glaring at me. "Christine was supposed to be helping me."

"I'm sorry! I'll see what I can do!" I glanced quickly at Raoul. He saw me and moved his hand to my thigh. His movement surprised me. I jolted upright nearly knocking the water glass off the table.

"Christine, what has gotten into you tonight?" Raoul asked laughing

"Sorry I guess I'm just a little up 'thight'." Raoul and I laughed uproariously at our shared joke. Meg who knew what was going on rolled her eyes and walked to the sink to begin clearing her spot. Mrs. Giry looked from one of us to the other (we were still laughing) confused. I was laughing so hard I dropped my fork on the ground. Raoul and I both bent down to pick it up at the same time. With our heads under the table, Raoul gently kissed me.

"I'm going to leave in a few minutes. Wait five minutes after I get out the door, and come outside." I agreed and we came back up, faces red.

"Sorry Mom." Raoul walked up behind his mother, where he placed his hands on her shoulders. He kissed her on top of her head. "I have to leave. I'll be back by 1."

"One in the morning? Raoul you will not! Come back here right now! Rauol…! Don't you walk at that door! Come here!" Raoul was walking away laughing.

"Good bye, mother!" he laughed shutting the door behind him. I jumped up to clear my spot.

"It so obvious you like him." Meg said looking at me out of the corner of her eye.

"I do not!" I said blushing. _This is ridiculous! _I thought _We are acting like school kids!_ "Okay… maybe I do like him… Do you hate me?" I asked fearing her response.

"Of course I don't! I couldn't think of a better girl friend for my sister." She threw a handful of bubbles at me. We laughed and I grabbed a dish towel.

"I'm going outside to get some air." I said beginning to inch towards the door. I heard Meg mumble something to her mom that sounded oddly like "…more like to get some Raoul…" They snickered at my retreating figure.

* * *

Raoul met me at the door. We passionately locked out lips together. His tongue traced the inside of my lips. Was this really happening? Something was bound to go wrong... something always did…

"Christine?" Raoul moaned.

"Yes?" I replied pulling back

"I really do have to leave. I will be back by one though. When Meg falls asleep, come into my room." He embraced me one last time before getting into his car and driving off. Come into his room? Was a boy really asking me to come to his room? Could I do that? Would we do anything? What would happen? Did I want anything to happen? Why is life so full of questions?

* * *

The boy just left my angel. He must be in love with her. There is no other explanation for his actions… unless… Unless his intentions are more sinister than my own… this boy… he needs to learn his boundaries. If Christine won't show him… I will.

**Sorry it's so short! I'm super tired now. And I know this chapter sucks, especially my lame joke… lol. It's now 12:43 so I wrote that in like less than 30 minutes… ha-ha. So please forgive! And reviews are welcome! I love them and appreciate them so much! Like you have no idea how much I love them! They make me want to sing. I'll make up a song about them right now!**

**Reviews mean more to me than apple pie!**

**Reviewers make me happy because they do not lie!**

**Reviewers in my heart will never die!**

**Because reviews are better than lame, critical sighs. **

**Oh wow. As you can see I'm very tired… lol. So in other words… I love reviews and reviewers!! Thank you and good night!**

**Ps. My goal will be to update by Friday. But who knows?**


	4. Chapter 4

**What's this? An update so soon?? CRAZY! I'm currently battling with an extreme case of writers block. I'm also currently bored out of my mind, so I decided to kill 2 birds with one stone. I'm so sorry the last chapter turned out so… weird… and not very well written… let's see if this one is any better.**

I went back inside as the feelings of twiterpation sunk in. I walked back to Meg's room on a cloud and flopped down on her bed. When she didn't look up, I closed my eyes and sighed heavily.

"Sigh" I opened my eyes and glanced quickly at her. She didn't respond, so I sighed again this time with my eyes open.

"Sigh" she rolled her eyes and looked at me.

"Yes?" she asked turning her soft brown eyes on me.

"Your brother is wonderful! He's so-"

"Kay, no offence or anything, but I honestly don't want to hear about how my brother stuck his tongue down your throat… you know I would totally listen if it were someone else… but Raoul? That's just… eww!" She made a face and I through a pillow at her.

"He's just so amazing!" I said loudly. When I saw the look on her face, I buried my head in her pillow and laughed. "Don't you just want to hear a little? You know I'd totally listen to you if it were you and my brother."

"Yea, but your brother is only 12 years old… that's almost statutory rape…" we laughed harder. I glanced at the clock. It was seven o'clock. Only 6 more hours. That meant only six hours to get Meg to fall asleep…

"Hey, Meg?"

"What, Chrissie?"

"I'm so tired. Let's go to sleep."

"But we haven't even finished my project yet!" I rolled my eyes and got down on the floor. We worked on the project for nearly three hours.

"There. Finished. I said holding up the completed project."

"It's so beautiful!" Meg held out her arms and took the poster board in her arms, tears welling up in her eyes. This was definitely a sign that she was exhausted. How was I going to get her to go to sleep? And then an idea struck me. Meg's favorite movie in the whole world was Pride and Prejudice. The only problem was, she hadn't made it through it. Not once. She always fell asleep before the end. How it was her favorite movie, I have no idea.

"Hey Meg, do you want to watch Pride and Prejudice?" I asked waving the DVD in front of her drooping eyes.

"Yea! Put it in!" she replied jumping up on the bed. I put the movie in the player and laid next to her, careful to make sure I was on the outside, where I wouldn't disturb her when I left. _Only 2 and a half more hours to go._ I thought wearily to myself as I watch for the billionth time as Mr. Darcy and Elizabeth fell in love in their odd multidimensional love pentagon. I glanced at the clock near the window. But this time, I saw something more than digital numbers glowing in the darkness. I saw a glowing white mask staring at me through the window!

**Okay I'm so dreading writing the confrontation so there is a portion of a chapter I guess you could call it… ha-ha sorry so short. I got even border and even more writers block so I decided for the sake of the story and my lovely readers, I would stop there. Alright thank you for reading, and I hope you stick with it! It will get better! I promise!**


	5. Chapter 5

**Hey guys!! Sorry I have not written in so long! But okay here is goes! Chapter 5!! Sorry it's short. I was just kind of feeling like getting this chapter out of the way. It's a little graphic… so I'm warning you now. Pg 13 for some sexual content. **

I immediately jumped up and ran to the window. The mask was gone. I slid the glass open and stuck my head out the window. I looked left and right but didn't see a thing. I looked into her back yard in the corner where the bushes were. I thought I saw a small figure crouching there when I heard the window next to mine slide slowly open. I turned my head for a split second, and the figure was gone. I moved my head back toward the window where I saw Raoul hanging out the window a bit. "Couldn't wait to see me, huh?" he asked a small smile creeping across his lips. He climbed, very attractively if I might say, out the window and crossed the small space between the windows to me. He slid his hands behind my ears and kissed me longingly. His passion frightened me, and I pulled away quickly. "Christine," he moaned.

"I'm sorry" I said. And we began kissing again. He pulled me out of the window and carried me to his, all the while keeping his lips firmly locked with mine.

Once inside his room, he laid me on his bed and we continued making out. He seemed content for about five minutes until he began to slide his hand up my shirt. I pushed it back down and continued kissing him. Five minutes later, it happened again. Keep in mind that I had never even kissed a boy before, so this was all new for me and I didn't want to go too fast. But this time I stopped kissing him and sat up. "Raoul… I don't want to go too fast." I said looking him in the eye. He nodded his head that he understood and began moving down my neck. Instead of being worried, I finally just gave into the feelings. When he got to my collar bone, I let out a small moan which seemed to encourage him to go farther. Soon, he had me back on my back and had my chest in his hands. I decided that that wasn't too bad and continued kissing him.

But then, he started unbuttoning things and moving things around and I got scared. "Raoul… Raoul please don't. I can't I'm not ready."

"Christine. Just take it! Take it." I was frightened by the tone of his voice and I began struggling against him. He pinned me down and started unbuttoning my pants. I struggled more and tried to get out of his grip but nothing would work. He began to press into me and I tried harder to get away crying now. I tried to scream, but nothing would come out. Suddenly, the weight on top of me was lifted. Confused, I sat up quickly. I looked and saw Raoul knocked out on the floor and the masked man I had seen earlier standing above me breathing heavily. It all happened so quickly, I didn't know what to do. I just stared at him and he at me. After it all registered that I had practically just been rapped, I began sobbing uncontrollably and fell into the man's arms. That's the last I remember.


	6. Chapter 6

_Beautiful clouds full of beautiful angels. Singing beautifully. _As I was slowly returning to consciousness, these are the things I remember. _Just beautiful clouds. And angels. The most angelic, beautiful voice_. I tried to open my eyes, struggling with the heavy lids, attempting to make them open. As the room slowly swam into focus, I saw my beautiful angel hovering above me. But he wasn't an angel at all. His face looked as if it had been torn to shreds by a wild animal. I gasped and shook my head attempting to blink away the nightmarish image before me.

"Christine, you're awake now." He reached behind him and pulled out a mask. I recognized the white material. Now that I was closer, I could see that it was covered in a lacy pattern. Slowly, everything was coming back to me. I remembered Raoul's attack on me in vivid detail. I rubbed my eyes, willing the images to go away.

"Where am I?" I asked, trying not to look at my savior.

"You're at the park. I've brought you to the park across from your friend Meg's house."

"Why do I feel so groggy?" Though his presence was terrifying me, I don't think I could have run away if I tried. I felt so _tired._

"The bastard drugged you." The masked man said, utter disdain in his voice. His passion scared me. I feared for the hatred his tone conveyed.

"Drugged me? Raoul? He wouldn't do that." I know things had gotten a bit heated, but surely.. no. He couldn't have… Could he? And then I remembered the look in his eyes as he tried to force himself on me. I let out a strangled sob and covered my face with my hands. I was so humiliated. How could I have put myself in this situation? I felt myself being lifted, and the next thing I knew, I was being cradled in this strange man's arms. He held me close to his chest and comforted me. I let myself cry. Not only for Raoul, but for my parents. For my lost childhood, for my complete and utter lack of knowledge as to where to go from here.

The thing I remember most about this interaction was that he didn't tell me to "hush now" or "dry your tears" even once. He allowed me to sob and sob until I just couldn't anymore. I fell asleep in his arms.

* * *

The next morning, I awoke in my own bed. I stretched and flipped over glancing at the red numbers on my alarm clock. 7:30. _I've got to go make sure Andrew is getting ready for school._ I swung my legs over the edge of the bed and began to stand up. I fell immediately onto the floor. _What the…? _ And then I remembered. Everything came rushing back. I clamped a hand to my mouth to cover up the involuntary, anguished cry. I covered my face and attempted to slow down my breathing; to fight the coming panic attack. I took a deep breath and examined my legs. _Why won't you work?_ I pulled my knees to my chest and looked down at my ankles. Dark bruises had formed around them. I remembered sitting just like this on Raoul's bed. He had pulled me down harshly by my ankles. _If he had pulled me hard enough to bruise, why didn't I take that as a bad sign and run?_ "_The bastard drugged you." _The words came slowly to forepart of my mind. _Yes. The masked man that had saved me. I remember him._

I shook my head and remembered my brother, slumbering in the next room. Blissfully unaware of the world and the evil it contained. I rose gingerly to my feet, holding onto my desk for support. It took a moment, but the blood slowly returned to my legs and I was able to walk once more.

I opened my brother's door. Our Dalmatian greeted me with a sleepy wag of his tail. I smiled despite myself. I pet him gently and reached over to tickle Andrew's foot that was just sticking out of his blankets. "Andrew, it's time to wake up! I've got to take you to school in 45 minutes. Up and at 'em." He groaned and kicked at my hand. As if to help me out, Frankie, the dog, got up and made his way to the foot of the bed. He licked Andrew's face mercilessly until, frustrated Andrew said,

"Alright, alright. I'm up." I smiled and ruffled his hair. I started to leave and nearly tripped over his skateboard on the floor.

"Andrew, are you _ever_ going to clean your room?" _You're not his mom. Stop right there. _He rolled his eyes at me and glared smugly.

"I'll clean my room when you stop pestering me about it."

"Okay, okay." I smiled weakly and held up my hands in surrender. "Come on, Frank. Breakfast time." The old dog jumped off the bed and followed me down stairs.

Frankie sat down next to his food bowl and waited patiently for me to get out the kibble. I poured a scoop and a half in and watched him happily scarf it down. I smiled at him with total adoration and stooped to add a slice of raw bacon on top. He looked back at me and seemed to smile before swallowing it, I'm sure, without tasting it. "Don't tell anyone." I said scratching behind his ears.

"Don't tell anyone, what?" My brother was standing in the kitchen flipping his Justin Beiber esc hair to the side.

"How much I love you," I said reaching out to pinch his cheeks.

"Yuck, stop. What's for breakfast?" He asked smacking my hand away. I laughed and finished setting his place at the table.

"Bacon and eggs. Orange juice is on its way." I said spooning some runny eggs onto his plate. He looked at it questioningly and back at me. I sighed. "Forget it." I threw everything in the dog bowl and handed Andrew his jacket. "We'll stop at Jackson's on the way to school."

"But, won't I be late?" He asked, a hopeful smile on his face.

"Do you really care about missing the first half hour of home room? Get in the car." He fist pumped the air and grabbed his bag off the couch calling out a hurried goodbye to Frank.

* * *

**I watched her leave her house from the tree next to the driveway. She was still wearing the same faded jeans and t shirt from last night. **_**Doesn't she get cold?**_** I suppose Arizona isn't exactly the coldest state in the country, but it's cold enough. As if she could hear my inner monologue, I watched her pull on a battered hoodie from the front seat of the car. Satisfied, I crawled back into the thick foliage of the tree, where I knew she would not see me. Once she rounded the corner, I knew it was time for my next order of business.**

* * *

I was planning on going right to school after dropping Andrew off, but the truth was, I was just too tired. The events of the night before had me completely overwhelmed. I walked inside and sank to the floor in front of the garage door. Frank came over and started liking my face. I held onto him and he sat down allowing me to hug him tightly. After a couple minutes, I stood. "Well boy, it's time to wash last night away. Why don't you go outside for a bit?" I opened the sliding glass door to let him out and made my way to my bathroom.

Once in the shower, I sank to the floor and allowed the hot water to cascade over me. I let the tears flow once more. I sobbed silently into my knees for I don't know how long. I jumped when I heard a knock at the door.

"Christine. You've had the shower on for nearly a half hour. It's time to get out."

"I'll be out in a second, Dad." I called, shocked that he had even gotten out of bed. I quickly washed my face and hair, then climbed out of the shower. I wiped the steam away from the mirror and stared into my nearly lifeless eyes. _You look more and more like Mom every day. _I thought bitterly to myself.

When I had dressed and combed out the rats nest that was my hair, I went to my parent's door and knocked softly. When I heard the inviting, "Come in" I slowly opened the door and walked in. My mother was comatose in the bed next to my father who was propped up watching the Simpsons.

"Sorry about the long shower, Dad. I lost track of time."

Not taking his eyes from the TV, he replied, "We're in a draught, Christine. Why don't you run to the store and pick up a clock or a timer or something?"

I scowled. "I can manage my time, Dad. I just had a rough night. It won't happen again."

He mumbled assent. "Where's your brother."

I rolled my eyes. The man honestly didn't know what day it was. "He's at school. Will you call in and excuse me for the day, please? Also, Andrew was a bit late for first hour. It was a slow morning for us."

Still not turning his focus from the TV, he said, "Yeah, sure. Will you go to the store and pick up your mom's prescriptions, please?"

"Of course. Anything else you need while I'm out?" He ignored me, so I excused myself and turned to leave. _Well, I guess I'll spend the day playing catch up. _I went downstairs to begin cleaning the pots and pans that were piling up in the kitchen sink.


End file.
